Christmas Eve

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Finally posting all of the Christmas Eve madness after the Mr Jerry Christmas (he was the winner for the second year in a row) contest footage- we had a great night with my mom's family Christmas Eve at Jannie and Grampa's house. Always a great tradition with cracked crab, games galore and Santa coming after dinner. My photo documentation was still lacking in quality- but here was the night in review!

The Kreeft Kids- Claire, Drew and Connor in their very festive outfits. Claire made her skirt from a Target tree skirt and glued on "Merry Christmas" as the trim- very impressive Claire :) Connor found his sparkly shirt and won the title of the Croatian Ice Dancing Star. Drew was looking very handsome.

Emmy B and Mr Jerry Christmas (the godparents :)

Francie with Luke and James ~ Maisie with Claire and Emmy

Pretty Ella

Maisie Moo the little Christmas Elf (in her size 6 month outfit)

Francie told Jannie "there are PRESENTS under your tree with my name on them!"

SANTA came to play!! (10 year old version of Santa- and my cousin Luke disappeared to take a nap during the same time) Francie was 100% smitten with the "little Santa who came to play with me" and was stuck to his side all night. She never even questioned it and was so sad when he had to go back to the North Pole!

Cute cousins with Santa (love the girls' faces)

The first time Santa has ever sat on Uncle Jerr's lap!

Santa pile up

James and Em with Little Santa

Claire in a recent college grad sandwich (Congrats Em and now Johners!)

Santa Babies

Besties

Mimi and her college kids (Connor is a freshman at Georgetown this year and Claire a junior at BC but going abroad to Africa next semester!)

ABA and Pat- Ann found this black dress up in Jannie's dress up closet- she thinks it belonged to great aunt kay or margaret!

Maisie showing off her photography skills- notice Mr Jerry Christmas and his alterations to the sign behind them

We are all very thankful for another Merry Christmas!

Noodle fun at the kids tables

After Cracked Crab dinner Jannie started a new tradition… "Box or No Box." The youngest person started and picked a door to find either Hershey's kisses, a pick a prize ticket or CASH :)

Luke picked the grand prize $50!

Ella got the next best - $20

Then we heard some hoofs on the roof- everybody upstairs while Santa comes!!

Too cool for school crowd hiding in ABA's old room during the Santa waiting…

SANTA has left the building…

Then present exchange - everyone drew a name. Kim had Maisie and Ella made her the cutest Fluffy Dog from build-a-bear with a dress that matched Ella's! Maisie Looooooooved it.

Twinsies!

Then time for the Big Swap. This year's theme was a "re-gift" but the catch was if it was lame you gave it back to the gifter to take home as their prize :)

"HA! These people are all crazy!"

and then Christmas Contest Time- thanks to our judges for staying awake until midnight for the big competition!

They took their jobs very seriously

awww family love

Behind the scenes- I think this was when Drew made Jerry download "You Can't Touch This" for his act

Francie doing rounds with her new trailer on the the trike and new Jessie doll "riding upside down" in front of her… hold on Jessie!

Uncle Jerry was Emcee and Jannie had to get the hook out for her other brother John who kept tap dancing his antlered way on stage

That's just what big sisters do!

Brian had been up since 4:30am with a puker Maisie (so was I but at least got a nap) so he was a trooper staying up and still smiling into the wee hours of family comedy

ABA changed her outfit even before the awards ceremony

Spectators

Lots of laughs at the favors from the final act

Closing ceremonies… Francie and her buddies

Santa must have had a long night delivering presents after all this craziness!

Christmas in The City

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We went up to San Francisco the two nights before Christmas for our annual family tradition getaway. As Francie says "It was just OUR family the first night then ALL our family the second night!" We had a fun night in Wednesday- Brian took the girls swimming and hot tubbing and we let them watch a movie on the hotel DVR. Thursday though I woke up sick with a flu bug- no fun! But Heff kept the girls entertained - two morning excursions on the cable cars- and we made the most of it. Thursday night was the big family dinner at Sam's- always crazy!! Heff took the girls early to Uncle Jerry's hotel room for the pre-party while I took a nap and then met them out for dinner feeling better. Then the last morning Brian took the girls for another early cable car ride and Grampa was waiting at the top of the hill for his favorite granddaughters and his favorite tradition :) All in all it's always a good pre-party for Christmas!

Lollipops and Christmas movies.. not a bad night

Maisie's pretty happy about it

Sick mom and snaggletooth

Chicken Legs says "CHEEEESE!"

bath time

Dad trying to make the girls laugh on their way to Sam's for dinner

I wonder what he was doing to make them laugh?? ;)

Our favorite Shigo-hand-me-down coats but on the wrong girls- a pretty good sign I was SICK!

Maisie's "Room"

My pictures are lacking since I was feeling so crappy but here are the collection of iPhone pics- the best I could do!

free beers and free cookies = happy husband and happy kids

Francie and her Bestie Shirley

love for Daddy

Hotel swimming!!

after bath… love the look Maise

Francie smiling for once

SAM's Dinner….

piling in to Sam's from the rain

dinner table for 28

Jannie at the kids table

family photo :)

Lip gloss!!

and more lip gloss from Janni'e purse

ABA and Pat (Maisie is still sacred of ABA in her new bangs :)

So many funny faces

Dad's giving rides after Sam's

Double Decker! (I fixed Maisie's jacket after this :)

Santa Tea

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Last week we got together with the Mariani clan for a Christmas Grandmothers-Mothers-Grandkids Tea tradition Jannie started when Francie was born. She had to get the train set up for her buddies Joe, James and Wil and the little girls played with every doll in the house. Thanks for a fun afternoon Jannie and Santa!

Jannie's house looked great all decked out for Christmas

all glass ornaments on the tree this year

cute Emilia, Emerie and Nellie

Who is jingling at the door?!

soo excited to see Santa

Maisie not afraid of Santa anymore

and Francie's "what I want for Christmas" changes every time! now I think she said an American Girl doll to be Natalie-Emily's little sister

Going up for candy canes - I didn't notice until I looked at pictures the girls were holding hands :)

Maisie Moo

Just checking to make sure he's the real deal…

Tracy and Whitney take a turn

Group picture! Francie and her giant bow hiding behind Santa's hat

Thanks Santa!! And he wasn't even wearing "meeting shoes" like he was last year... Jannie has a really good sport on the cul de sac ;)

Nico couldn't get enough of Sophie's licks!

Crazy Maisie

is a dare-devil in a dress

Me with the Mariani girls- they make me want to keep having all girls!!

Francie looking like a rag-a-muffin with Stella, James and Wil

I see you Wil!

Christmas Cousins

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We had a full house last week Monday-Wednesday for a Cousins Pre-Christmas Slumber party. We had Brian's sister Katherine here with Baby Oliver, then his mom Claire came down from red Bluff with his other sister Maureen and her three kids - Ellie, Kate and Patrick and his brother Mark and Clara who live here came to join us for dinner's since Sarah was away on a work trip. We had people sleeping all over the house but it's so nice to finally have room for lots of guests! It was cousin chaos but lots of fun and memories.

Monday Aunt Kat and Francie made cookies in the morning then let all the kids decorate after dinner


Heff looks good holding a baby boy!

and letting all the little have a horsey ride (poor Patrick took a fall!)

Then Tuesday morning we were on a schedule of Christmas activities. First stop - SANTA at Stanford Mall.

First Kate and Ellie took their letters up - Santa took the time to open and read both of them (it helped there was hardly a line but what a nice Santa)

My girls are not so sure…

They agreed to sit next to Kate finally

Then it was Oliver's turn… his list was soooo long he took forever :)

Then Francie decided if Oliver could do it she could too- and Maisie still wasn't quite sure what was going on

Francie told Santa she wanted a reindeer and she told him her sister wanted a new binkie. I wonder how much damage a hunting trip with her dad would do her right now? ;)

Heff came over from work for a whole 12 minutes to witness his girls on Santa's lap- he's crazy busy at work right now but I love that he takes time out to be there for the little things like this-

Then the big girls tortured the foster dogs in the Macy's window for awhile.

I love the silly faces in these pictures- these cousins have so much fun together

then after some quiet time at home Heff took over Patrick and Maisie duty while we took the big girls to a Holiday Fairy Tea!

Oma and Maureen

Happy Francie

Kat and I with Oliver our only male tea patron

the Snow fairy visits our table

the girls loved her- she took them into the fireplace room after this for a magic show

OD... OD'ed on tea

then dinner at our house again- we were supposed to have a neighborhood "Hot Toddy Party" in the alley in front ouf our house but it got canceled with all the rain so Oma made pasta and we all just hung out.

Rub-a-dub-dub… how many cousins can you fit in a tub?

Oliver's first group bath :)

Then all reindeered up!

too much fun

Family Closet

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The girls and I have been sick for a few days so we were quarantined all weekend with Heff. We were sad to miss Christmas parties and festivities but it was a really nice family weekend at home catching up on all the little stuff. Heff says I'm nesting- getting ready for the baby already- but I think I'm just using any free moment for my favorite activity... organizing! I tackled the girls closets/rooms/clothes on Sunday.

I've been trying to figure out the best way to do a "family closet" system like the Duggars- (genius born out of neccessity when you have 19 children) where all the clothes are organized in the same place by size. Way easier for Dad and the girls to choose their own outfits when I let them :) I realized the built-in we put in the bathroom above a laundry shoot is the perfect spot- we just needed a few more shelves which my handy husband made and my label maker. This way if kids are sleeping in either bedroom you can still get to the bathroom (jack-and-jill style) to dress them but can just put all the clothes away in one place.

PJ's in the bathroom for the girls to pick after their baths (our wallpaper is FINALLY here and getting put up next week- only took me 6 months)

I showed Francie her underwear drawer and she goes "Wowie-Zowie it's all organized!" a girl after her mom's heart.

Undershirts (one size fits all for now) but next size up in the back- somehow Kerri Shigo managed to send me a stack of perfectly white Petit Bateau hand-me-down tanks, how did they make it through three girls like that I have no idea!?

Ballet Drawer

I know, I have serious issues. "Matching Long Sleeve Pinks" should never be allowed to be called it's own category.

and I moved the summer dresses to Maisie's closet (which will be new baby nursery after the bassinet phase) and winter matching dresses in Francie's room (which they will share soon enough I hope) So many of these are hand-me-downs, we're lucky to have such nice friends with girls!

Ahhh it makes me so happy to see this now when I get them dressed in the morning :)

Merry Christmas Cards!

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The only time of the year worth going to get the mail out of the mailbox...

Thanks for all the Christmas cards friends!

and ours- should have arrived in your mailbox unless I had the wrong address (send me updated if I missed you!) Front photo (on top) by Emmy B.

Outtakes...


and other outtakes- I remember when my dad would buy a roll of 36 (instead of 24) to take out Christmas card picture... 460 digital pics later for Francie and Maisie this tim, it's almost impossible!



MERRY CHRISTMAS! - Love, The Heff's

Babysitting Baby Lucy

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Emily and I started our own informal, two-mom, co-op... she babysits the girls sometimes and we take Baby Lucy whenever we can get her! Last time Emily watched Francie and Maisie at her house for two hours while I went to IKEA- I came back to pick them up and she said "Good luck with this!" meaning two crazy girls and a newborn :) It's going to be fun!

We put up colored lights on the front of the house - I wanted white but Heff was excited for color and they look great. He even put up permanent light hooks under the gutter so we can just throw them up every year.

and some iPhone pics from Emily's turn watching the little rascals :)

Maisie cheering Lucy on for tummy time!